Conference on China Bills Faces Procedural Hurdles in Senate

The Senate will need to amend the House China package with upper chamber language and send it back to the lower chamber in order to begin conferencing the two measures, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said March 17. Calling it a procedural step, he noted a “small band of Republicans” is standing in the way of “quick action.”

Schumer filed cloture on the motion to proceed to the House-passed America Competes Act in order to take the next procedural step in moving to conference. Schumer’s office said it’s negotiating to begin conferencing this work period.

The Senate plans to amend the House bill next week “as quickly as we can,” Schumer said from the Senate floor: “Despite filing cloture, it’s far better for Democrats and Republicans to reach an agreement to vote on this bill quickly, and we’ll keep working on that over the next few days. It’s regrettable that a small band of Republicans are determined to stand in the way of quick action.”

Offices for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and lead sponsor Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., didn’t comment. “Creating jobs, lowering costs, fixing supply chains shouldn’t be partisan, and I hope to see an agreement to expedite this process soon,” Schumer said.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is looking ahead to a hearing next week on chips legislation with Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, Lam Research CEO Tim Archer and Paccar CEO Preston Feight.

It’s “encouraging” Schumer’s office said it wants to begin conferencing this work period, ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said before Schumer filed cloture. “I’ve been ready for six weeks or more, so I’m eager to get started,” he said. “I have not been notified by anyone that I’m officially on the conference committee, but I hope to be, expect to be.”

“If we want this to pass, it’s going to have to resemble the Senate bill,” Young said Thursday during an event with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. “This is what so many Republicans are supportive of on this side of the Capitol, and I think many of the stakeholders understand that.” He believes conferencing will happen in the coming weeks and that passage, if it occurs, will happen in the summer. If Congress fails, it will send a bad message to U.S. investors, allies and adversaries, he said.